Oakland activist Tristan Anderson hospitalized in West Bank clash

Oakland Man Shot by Israeli Forces in West Bank (from commondreams.org)

NI'LIN VILLAGE, West Bank, Palestine - March 13 - An American citizen has been critically injured in the village of Ni'lin after Israeli forces shot him in the head with a tear-gas canister.

Tristan Anderson from Oakland, California, USA, 37 years old, is being taken to the Israeli hospital Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv. Anderson is unconscious and has been bleeding heavily from the nose and mouth. He sustained a large hole in his forehead where he was struck by the canister.

"The Israeli soldiers were standing on the hill looking over us firing tear-gas canisters straight into the crowd,” reported Ulrika Jenson, an International Solidarity Movement volunteer from Sweden. “Tristan was hit and fell to the ground. He had a large hole in the front of his head and his brain was visible. I tried to stop the bleeding, but he was bleeding heavily from the head, nose and mouth.”

Tristan Anderson was shot as Israeli forces attacked a demonstration against the construction of the annexation wall through the village of Ni'lin's land. Another resident from Ni'lin was shot in the leg with live ammunition.

"Tristan was shot by the new tear-gas canisters that can be shot up to 500 meters,” stated Teah Lunqvist, another ISM volunteer from Sweden. “I ran over as I saw someone had been shot, while the Israeli forces continued to fire tear-gas at us. When an ambulance came, the Israeli soldiers refused to allow the ambulance through the checkpoint just outside the village. After 5 minutes of arguing with the soldiers, the ambulance passed."

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The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles. Founded by a small group of activists in August, 2001, ISM aims to support and strengthen the Palestinian popular resistance by providing the Palestinian people with two resources, international protection and a voice with which to nonviolently resist an overwhelming military occupation force.




American man severely hurt in clash with Israeli military during West Bank unrest

By Associated Press
12:20 PM EDT, March 13, 2009

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says an American man has been critically wounded in a clash between protesters and Israeli troops over Israel's West Bank separation barrier.

Protesters said one of their colleagues, Tristan Anderson from the Oakland, California-area, was hit in the head with a tear gas canister Friday.

The military had no details on how the injury occurred.

The protest took place in the Palestinian town of Naalin, the scene of frequent clashes against Israel's West Bank separation barrier. The barrier runs through farmland belonging to the town.

The military says the area is a closed military zone and has banned demonstrations.

It said demonstrators hurled rocks at troops, who used riot gear to quell the unrest.




US national badly hurt in anti-fence protest

International Solidarity Movement reports one of its members, Tristan Anderson, injured in his head by tear gas canister during left-wing activists' rally at West Bank village of Naalin. IDF says incident being looked into

Ynet reporters
Published: 03.13.09, 18:37 / Israel News

An American national was seriously injured Friday during a rally against the separation fence being built in the West Bank village of Naalin, apparently after being hit by a tear gas canister.

The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) identified the man injured as Tristan Anderson, 37, of California. He was rushed to the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer for medical treatment.

The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson's Office confirmed the report, adding that the incident was being looked into.

The army also said that some 400 left wing Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists had arrived at the area while violating a closed military area order, and that some of them, who were veiled, had hurled stones at the security forces, who responded with crowd dispersal means.

Ulrika Jenson, a Swedish left-wing activist who was at the rally, said that "the IDF soldier stood on the hill and watched the protestors. They fired tear gas canisters at us. Anderson was hit by one of the canisters and collapsed on the floor, with a big hole in the middle of his forehead. I tried to stop the blood until the ambulance got there, but it was nearly impossible."


'There was no reason to fire at them'

Jonathan Polack, a left-wing activist who is sitting by Anderson's bedside at the hospital, said that the American man was unconscious and expected to undergo surgery in his head in the coming hours.

Polack also said that the protestors clashed with the soldiers, but noted that "the firing incident took place inside the village and not next to the fence. There were clashed in the earlier hours, but he wasn't part of them. He didn't throw stones and wasn’t standing next to the stone throwers.

"There was really no reason to fire at them. The Dutch girl standing next to him was not hurt. It only injured him, like a bullet."

Last Friday saw four people lightly injured in Naalin. According to Palestinian sources, the four were hurt during the weekly protest against the separation fence's route. The demonstrators managed to reach the work area and caused damage to part of the fence being built in the area.

IDF soldiers and Border Guard officers responded with crowd dispersal means. According to the Palestinians, they also used live ammunition against the protestors. The IDF said that the demonstrators had hurled stones at the security forces and that those injured were the rally's leaders.

The Palestinians claimed that a 10-year-old child was injured in his back, and that a Swedish demonstrator was hit by a tear gas canister which hit her directly in the stomach.

Ali Waked, Efrat Weiss, Liron Sinay and Meital Yasur-Beit Or contributed to this report